Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 161

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 161

The World is Wide (2)

Pitter-patter!

-It’s raining! It’s raining!

-The gunpowder! Check the gunpowder again!

As the raindrops fell, the commanders quickly issued orders, and the soldiers moved busily according to these instructions.

Since the situation was expected with dark clouds, there was little confusion, and the main commanders’ tents were already set up.

The rain grew heavier, and the sound of soldiers hurriedly pitching tents reached Yusuf’s ears.

“It’s raining.”

“Belgrade is just around the corner, which is a shame.”

“This level of weather won’t even act as a variable, so there’s no need to be impatient.”

The coastal areas of the Balkan Peninsula have a Mediterranean climate with rainy winters and dry summers, but the inland precipitation is similar throughout the year.

Osman has been at war in the Balkans for more than just a year or two, and the natural environment has always been within the expected range.

Yusuf, who answered Mehmet like that, examined the map.

“Still, it won’t be easy to march in this rain.”

The term ‘Balkan’ itself refers to a mountainous area with many forests. It initially described the mountain range in the northeastern part of the peninsula spanning Bulgaria and Serbia, but the meaning expanded to encompass the entire peninsula.

Looking at the map, most of the Balkan region is mountainous, with several rivers, including the 2860km-long Danube River, which connects the Holy Roman Empire to the Black Sea.

There are even swamps in places, making it difficult to march, which was why Osman struggled to conquer the Balkans.

“Unlike the territories of the empire we’ve passed through so far, the roads aren’t properly paved, it seems.”

“I’m worried about the carts carrying cannons and supplies. The time spent stuck in the mud will also be significant.”

“We can’t transport all the supplies through the Danube River, so we have no choice.”

Water was a very important factor in the growth of cities, and it was natural for several cities to develop along the Danube River, the second longest river in Europe.

Belgrade, which they were trying to occupy now, and Budapest, the final destination, were also located along the Danube River.

Small ships could even move as far as the Holy Roman Empire, so some supplies were transported via the Danube River.

“Roads were quickly paved in the empire thanks to cement. Only ten years ago, the empire and Hungary were no different.”

Of course, it had been well over 20 years since cement was first introduced, so it was hard to say that cement was a unique technology of the empire.

No matter how hard they tried to hide it, it wasn’t difficult to figure out the raw materials that went into cement, so even if there were differences in quality and production capacity, other countries also knew how to make cement.

‘The news from Rhodes must have been that shocking.’

The news that they had built a castle so quickly even spread rumors in Europe that it was the sorcery of pagans.

Anyway, after Rhodes, interest in cement grew, and it was natural for those who coveted it for military purposes to emerge.

“Of course, even with cement, Hungary wouldn’t have paved the roads connecting to the empire. Relax. Either way, this is the last bit of luck given to them.”

Nothing would change with just two days of leeway.

It was time for Belgrade to follow the fate of Rhodes, which had repeatedly blocked Osman.

***

Like its name, White Fortress, the Belgrade Fortress, visible under the bright sun, looked white.

The Belgrade Fortress, surrounded by the Danube and Sava rivers, presented a formidable appearance.

In the plains in front of the Belgrade Fortress, the Ottoman army, which had come through the rugged land, set up camp, and Ottoman ships that had sailed up the Danube River floated on the river.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is it, Mehmet?”

“If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, it seems the enemy is small in number.”

“Your eyes are not deceiving you. It’s those Hungarian bastards who are strange.”

It’s difficult to guess the exact number of soldiers since they are holed up in the castle, but you can get a rough estimate by looking at the soldiers standing on the walls.

“It seems to be about seven hundred. It doesn’t seem to exceed a thousand, even at most.”

Even though defense is more advantageous than offense in a siege, there are limits.

There’s no way they can overcome a difference of nearly a hundredfold.

‘Even the Knights of Rhodes can’t do that.’

They deserved praise just for closing the doors and preparing for a desperate struggle.

“As expected, it’s Hungary. It seems no reinforcements have come at all.”

To summarize Hungary now, it’s a playground for nobles.

The nobles, who valued their own interests more than the country, didn’t even listen to the king’s orders, and Belgrade before their eyes was the result.

The city that had defeated Mehmet II, who was regarded as the invincible demon army, and became the hope of Europe, was as good as abandoned.

‘No one living in this era would have thought that this situation would happen.’

France, which had a hand in Hungary’s troubles, as well as Charles V [Holy Roman Emperor], who was connected by blood, and Lajos II [King of Hungary and Bohemia], who issued the order, would not have known it would turn out like this.

Even the Ottoman commanders, who came fully prepared, couldn’t believe the reality before their eyes.

“…Are they ambushing somewhere?”

“It would be better to help with the defense than to ambush. I understand it’s hard to believe.”

How desperate would they be for a commander who had learned everything to say such nonsense?

It’s not like the war happened suddenly.

They couldn’t have not known that a war could break out if the empire’s envoy was killed, and Osman openly prepared for war and invaded.

Logically, it didn’t make sense that such an important fortress like Belgrade had less than a thousand soldiers.

It was natural for the commanders to be confused.

“Abandon common sense in this war. It’ll be better that way.”

It was going to be a war where you could see things beyond imagination.

‘It’s an advantageous situation, but there’s no point in dragging it out. Now that mediation has failed, Carlos [Charles V] will do his best to interfere.’

The distance from Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to Vienna is only about 200km.

For the Holy Roman Empire, it would feel like a knife was being held to their throat, so they could indirectly interfere by circumventing the peace treaty.

“Mehmet, what was the situation in Poland and Lithuania before you came down?”

“No special movements have been confirmed, but there is a possibility that they will participate in the war because they have been aggressively expanding their cities through looting. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“That’s not your fault. I ordered you to do so.”

It was too early for Poland and Lithuania to form a federation and rise as the ruler of Eastern Europe, but there was a good chance that they would participate in the war through a deal with Charles V.

Besides this, there was a high possibility that they would play other tricks.

‘Carlos probably didn’t even dream that Hungary would be so messed up that it wouldn’t even have the ability to buy at least some time. Lajos II himself wouldn’t have known either.’

Thanks to Hungary’s actions that exceeded imagination, they had more than enough time to achieve their goals if they hurried.

“Mehmet, Murat.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I will give you 20,000 soldiers each. Occupy the fortresses near Belgrade.”

If they gave away 40,000, only 30,000 would be left in the main camp, but this number was enough.

“I will occupy Belgrade.”

***

Three days had already passed since the siege began.

Belgrade’s lord, Mihály Mór, tried to shake off his fatigue and raised his voice for the soldiers.

“Hold on! The enemies must be tired too! If we hold on, reinforcements will come!”

“Hang in there! We can hold out until the reinforcements come!”

Mihály bit his lip as he watched the soldiers participate in the war with courage in his words.

He said reinforcements, but if there were any reinforcements that could come, they would have come long ago.

‘Is there no choice but to hold out here and die?’

Like digging into the ground to make gunpowder, the Ottomans opened the siege with a huge number of cannons.

The good thing was that there were few soldiers sacrificed by the shells because there were few soldiers, but conversely, the castle became tattered.

Due to the Ottoman army tightening its grip, the number of soldiers was halved, but Mihály had a small hope.

“They are also human! They can’t attack endlessly! Just a little more strength!”

30,000 soldiers was definitely a large number, but it was not enough to attack day and night.

Even if they attacked with alternating troops, they would gradually reach their limits like themselves, and then they would be able to take a breather.

As if Mihály’s thoughts were correct, as the sun began to set, a huge drum sounded throughout the battlefield.

-Boom! Doom! Boom!

“The, the enemy is retreating! Wooaaaaa!”

As the Ottoman army retreated at the sound of drums signaling the retreat, the soldiers of Belgrade cheered.

The enemy seemed to be trying to rest now, and smoke rose from various parts of the enemy’s camp.

Mihály, who smelled a smell similar to the smell of burning along with the smell of food, gave instructions to the commanders as the sun completely set.

“Set up guards with the minimum number of soldiers and let them rest.”

“I understand…”

The people who were receiving instructions, thinking that they could finally rest properly, couldn’t continue speaking at the sound that followed.

-Boom boom! Boom!

The drumbeat that made his heart tremble resonated in his chest, and Mihály hurriedly ran towards the walls.

Through the drumbeat, he heard the cheerful music of the Janissary [elite Ottoman infantry] military band, and then he heard a thunderous shout.

-Allahu Akbar! [God is the greatest!]

-Allah and Padishah [Ottoman Sultan] are with us!

Mihály and the soldiers were terrified at the sight of the Ottoman army rushing in madly with their swords clenched.

The soldiers rushing in didn’t seem to have any fatigue from the previous siege.

“Oh, God. Are they really not human…?”

Mihály’s words perfectly represented the feelings of those defending the Belgrade Fortress, and the Ottoman army, waving the red Ottoman flag and advancing, looked like demons.

Despair fell on the Belgrade Fortress.

Yusuf, who was observing the Belgrade Fortress, lifted his cup.

“They won’t make it past today.”

In the original history, they were the ones who held out for nearly a month even with those few soldiers, but there were too few soldiers to overcome the enemy that was rushing in day and night.

Yusuf took a sip of coffee and took a deep breath.

The smell of coffee, which at first smelled like burning, filled his nose and even felt like it was occupying his lungs.

It was likely that the inside of the Ottoman camp was filled with a strong coffee scent, and Yusuf asked the Grand Vizier [chief minister of the Ottoman Empire].

“Did you give the soldiers enough coffee to drink?”

“Of course. Most of the soldiers are drinking coffee for the first time, so they will be wide awake tonight.”

Unlike the officials who drank more coffee than water, the soldiers had no immunity to caffeine at all, so they would spend the night with their eyes open as the Grand Vizier said.

‘This is legal doping.’

Yusuf, who had the soldiers drink coffee beyond the servants, nodded.

It wasn’t for nothing that he brought coffee as supplies.

It was a luxury that could not be afforded unless it was Osman, who directly produced coffee, and the effect was clearly showing.

The caffeine-intoxicated Ottoman army attacked the exhausted Belgrade without rest, and the results were reported before dawn.

“It’s Mihály Mór, the lord of Belgrade.”

The surviving soldiers, including Mihály, were tied up and knelt down, and Yusuf indifferently ordered towards the great enemy who had bravely faced the empire.

“Cut off all their heads and hang them up.”

He had no intention of keeping a dog that showed its teeth alive.

***

The urgent report that Belgrade had been occupied in a few days caused widespread shock.

Thanks to its excellent record of blocking Osman, Belgrade, along with Rhodes, served as a psychological bulwark for Western countries.

There were less than a thousand soldiers, but because it was Belgrade, they had some expectations.

However, the expectations were proven delusional, and the Ottoman army quickly occupied the area near Belgrade.

“Belgrade has fallen! What should we do?!”

Lajos, realizing that the nobles were not even pretending to listen to his orders, was startled and headed to Budapest first, taking the initiative, and only then did the nobles send troops.

Still, they were able to gather about 40,000 soldiers, perhaps because they felt a sense of crisis with Osman attacking.

“Tomori Pál! What do you think we should do in the future?!”

Lajos, who had no military experience, asked the commander who would be commanding the troops instead, and Tomori came to a conclusion after much deliberation.

“Since there is a mountain range, they may not come to Buda and instead head to Transylvania and Croatia. We must disperse the troops.”

“Since there are existing troops defending, it seems that 5,000 troops should be additionally deployed to each of the two places.”

“Good. I will follow your wishes.”

According to the plans of the two, Lajos sent 5,000 troops each to Transylvania and Croatia, other territories he ruled.

And soon after, they learned that the Ottoman army was advancing towards Budapest over the mountain range.

***

“Your Majesty.”

“Didn’t I tell you, the world is wide.”

It was already crazy to divide the army into three when the troops were outnumbered, but at least that was somewhat reasonable.

Looking at the enemy’s army lined up on the plains, Murat briefly assessed the situation.

“To dare to fight the empire on the plains without fear, the King of Hungary seems crazy.”

Whether the king was crazy, Hungary was crazy, or the world was crazy.